Cosmic accidents: The certainty of chance

Tiny changes at the beginning make big differences in the end. That's why our existence is perilously perched on a great pyramid of trivia

And so here we are. Exploding stars, giant collisions, revolutions in evolution: there is no denying that there have been some momentous twists on the road to us. But not all turning points in history are so special, so ostentatious. As we leave the trail of accident and coincidence that marks our past, we might consider an alternative take: that absolutely everything was the luck of the draw.

Even before chaos theory was developed in the 20th century, it was clear to historians and physicists that small causes could lead to large effects. The alluring length of Cleopatra's nose or Richard III's lack of a horseshoe nail might bring down empires and dynasties; the slightest ...

To continue reading this article, subscribe to receive access to all of newscientist.com, including 20 years of archive content.

To continue reading this article, log in or subscribe to New Scientist